


Starlight Eyes

by Quillss



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Usagi Drop | Bunny Drop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, M/M, Non-Despair AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, read g major first for context, this entire fic is an excuse to write single dad kaito, usagi drop elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-05-08 13:13:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quillss/pseuds/Quillss
Summary: Kaito Momota. A single father of one son and a hardworking widower who just wants the rest of his and his family's lives to be perfect. At 3:30 PM whilst picking up his son from little league, he will find his soulmate.Emphasis on "find"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i lost major motivation after a big-break up in my real life to continue f sharp, so i've turned a new leaf and decided to make this the real sequel to G Major, here a few things you need to know about this fic:
> 
> \- kaito and maki's son is not named kokichi anymore, he is instead called Noriaki Momota (no its not a jjba reference)  
> \- noriaki is 7-8 years old in this fic  
> \- korekiyo probably wont show up and if he does he wont be a major antagonist

Everything had changed so much.

That was an understatement, in fact. Much more than 'everything' had changed. He could still remember the years before like they had happened an hour ago.

 

> _"Push, Ms Harukawa! We just need you to do a little more!"_
> 
> _"Doctor, she doesn't have the strength to do anymore. After all those major contractions- it's just not possible!"_
> 
> _"Hand me that scalpel, nurse. We're going to have to give her a caesarean section!"_
> 
> _"Are you insane?! With all that blood loss before, she might not survive such a major surgery!"_
> 
> _"It's the only way!"_

Kaito hand had been sprained for two weeks after that surgery, Maki really had a death like grip on her. But.. the baby was born healthy, surprisingly, and very late. So it did take on some trait from his father at least. The moment he was born Momota knew that this guy was gonna shoot for the stars, and not only because he had wisps of crimson-purple hair like his dad's.

But because he had Maki in him too.

Maki stayed in hospital for weeks after their son was born, and she was only allowed visitors whenever she wasn't getting some other major surgery done or recovering from another. It was safe to say that within the third month of her labor, Harukawa Maki had passed. 

Both Kaito and his son had wept that day, though mainly for the baby it was because he wasn't used to being held against such a broad chest, and much prepared the soft, tenderness of his mother. Maki was cremated within the following weeks and placed a top the fireplace, along with her hair scrunchies and bow. 

It wasn't like Momota didn't receive help from his friends and family. His grandparents were so excited to see their great grandson, and everyone else from his class in college and university from Hope's Peak was thrilled to see the new baby. It wasn't until about the fourth month after Maki's death and his son's birth that the child needed a name.

Something strong and good like Kaito, but something to remember Maki as well. Kaito had been sitting by the window, rain hitting against the glass. Cradling his son in one arm whilst bottle-feeding him with his other hand and gently rocking, it wasn't like Harukawa had left them without teaching Momota a few things about how babies worked.

But they never had discussed names now that he thought about it. They never wanted to know the gender, so it was a surprise boy for them both. Well, for Kaito mostly. 

The rain stopped hesitantly, a douse of sunlight coming in through the window and shining over the blanket his son was huddled inside. The baby stirred and moved toward it, almost like he was basking in the sunlight. That was strange, babies usually didn't like bright things that basically disturbed them.

Bright.

Kaito looked down at his son and couldn't help but smile, feeling himself well up with emotion. He drew a finger over the delicate, soft white cheek and the baby cooed in something of delight. 

"Noriaki."

* * *

Shit, shit, shit, shit! Kaito was so fucking late. He skidded in traffic and drove way past the speed limit, honestly he didn't care if he got a ticket for speeding or anything like that. He just couldn't be that late! The game practice ended at like, three. It was twenty past now. Kaito drifted across the streets and corners until he could see the pitching field in view. That was good, right? Well, it wasn't good that he was late but at least he was close.

Kaito stopped the car in the makeshift parking area and basically ran out, jacket sloped over his shoulders, shades in his hair and a coffee stain on his shirt. He was late, he was a mess, but he was here. He basically sprinted toward the field and saw one of the other kids' parents walking off with their children give him a smug look, but he didn't care.

He ran toward the pitching cage and pried it open, immediately seeing Noriaki sitting on the bottom bleachers whilst he tossed a baseball up and down through his mitt. He sighed with relief. Kaito made his way over to him and huffed, out of breath from literally sprinting over here in a matter of seconds. 

"Hey," he panted. "sorry I'm late Nori. Got caught up at work- was a mess, you know the deal by now. Did you have fun?" He asked, and Noriaki nodded enthusiastically. He didn't seem to mind that his father was over twenty minutes late.

"It was good! Mr. Nekomaru is still in hospital, but we got a new teacher, he was trained by Mr. Nekomaru himself, and he's good!" Noriaki stated, throwing his ball up and down. "He even plated in major league, and he showed us himself on a card!"

Kaito rolled his eyes. Was this guy just a showboat, going to rub his ego off on his son? "Well, as long as you had fun, right?" He asked, and Nori nodded again. "It was soo cool! You need to meet him, dad. He even went to that school you used to go to!" Noriaki grabbed Kaito's wrist and began dragging him further into the field, and Kaito sighed.

But he wouldn't lie, he was sort of interested to see who this was. A guy who went to Hope's Peak? Then he must be good, right? Momota often said that he was 'fine with anything as long as it helped and made his son happy', but if he was being completely honest he did want the best for him. And a former student of Hope's Peak had to be the best, right?

"Mr. Kuwata! This is my dad- he works in an agency!" Nori stated, and Kaito felt his cheeks flushed. It felt an awful lot like he had been bragged about since Kaito had a different job from most parents his age. Working in a detective's agency wasn't the best and it wasn't exactly his dream, but.. it wasn't like he could go to space with an seven year old son. 

"Oh? The detective, right?" A voice called out from the shed where they kept extra bats and gloves, and then some shifting noises. Kaito scratched behind his head awkwardly, he couldn't even see the guy. "Uh- it's nice to meet you, Kuwata. I'm Kaito Momota, you're training my son in Nidai's absence, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am!" Kuwata called out and revealed himself.

Kaito's heart stopped in his chest.

Kuwata had thick, orange hair that looked spiked and gelled immensely. He had several piercings and rings that looked hipster and cool as all hell, including a chin and tongue stud. He even had a goatee like Kaito, except his one had a silver ring around it which made it look even better. He wore a white leather jacket and a similar patterned shirt to Kaito's. As well as that, his eyes were a striking blue and his skin was pale and looked so soft.

Momota was immediately heart struck. And he looked like such a mess, too! How could he ever repent himself now. Kuwata moved forward and held out a hand to Kaito. "Leon Kuwata. I'm the coach in Nekomaru's absence, yeah. It's nice to meet you, Momota!"

Kaito stared down at it awkwardly, before taking it in a handshake and nervously chuckling. "N-nice to meet you too, I'm sure you'll train my son well for the time being." He stated, and Leon smiled. "Your son is a natural born athlete, Momota. I couldn't believe how good his pitching was, he's throwing like a professional!" He stated and ruffled Noriaki's hair, who was more than delighted for the recognition. 

"Well, we- I hope to see you around more." Kaito stated, and immediately regretted saying that. He smiled awkwardly. "Come on, Nori." He prompted, and Noriaki began to run toward the exit of the pitching field. "Bye, Mr. Kuwata! I'll see you next week!" He called out, and Leon raised a hand to him in signal. 

"You have a good kid, Momota. Does he get that from his mother or you?" He asked, and Kaito felt himself droop slightly. He sighed. "I'd like to think he gets it from Maki- his  _mother_. She's uh.. no longer with us." He stated, and Leon flinched back. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to bring that up, I didn't know, I-"

"It's alright, Kuwata." Kaito stated, smiling awkwardly. "I'll.. see you around?" He suggested, and Leon nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you next week when you pick him up." Kuwata waved his hand back to Kaito, and he turned on one heel, heading back into the baseball shed.

Kaito approached the exit of the baseball field with much more spring in his step. He exited through the pitching cage and headed back toward the car, where Noriaki had already strapped himself in the front passenger seat. Momota got in through the driver's way and leaned back into his seat, sighing quietly. Though Noriaki immediately noticed. "Daaad, are you okay? You're acting like you did drugs or something."

"I'm fine- I didn't do drugs, how do you even know about drugs?" He asked, and Nori shrugged. "Teacher told us all about them in social stuff." He shrugged, and Kaito rolled his eyes. "They really teach kids mature things at such a young age, wow." Momota shrugged and started up the car, Noriaki leaning against the door and looking out the window.

"Can we get McDonald's on the way home?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Nori; cute family fluff.

"So you like him, right?" Noriaki asked as he leaned back against the passenger seat, vanilla milkshake in hand and box of chicken nuggets in his lap. Kaito hummed quietly, and then shook his head.

"Nope. I hate him. Bad influence. We're pulling you out of baseball training until Mr. Nekomaru comes back." Momota stated, and Noriaki's eyes widened with disbelief and grief at the same time.

Kaito smirked. "I'm kidding. He's.. not bad." He spoke warily, like he was treading on thin ice when talking about a crush. Which was, in fact, exactly what it was like. Noriaki breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded, taking a sip of milkshake.

Glancing down at the clock where the radio and heater for the car was, he frowned. It was only four, he expected it to be much later. Kaito gripped the steering wheel as he thought about Leon.

Okay, he was fucking hot. There was no denying that. But.. if Kaito found him attractive, surely he had a ton of other admirers as well, right? Noriaki said he played for major league, so he must have a  _lot_ of people pegging after him. And how could he even be sure that Leon was even gay. Hell, Kaito hadn't even accepted the act that he was lowkey bisexual until he left Hope's Peak.

Hope's Peak, speaking of which.. maybe he could call up the school and ask if a student called Leon Kuwata ever attended? He wasn't calling his son a liar, but maybe he'd just misheard him? Kaito's head was swirling with so many different thoughts.

"Dad?" Noriaki asked, and Kaito was finally brought back to his senses, grabbing his black coffee and taking a sip. "Mm?" He replied back, and Noriaki looked down at the floor of the car. "Do you- um, when Mr. Kuwata was talking about mom," Oh no. "he asked if I got.. something from her. What did he mean by that?"

Kaito swallowed nervously, running a hand through his mess of a hairstyle. "It's like- okay. I'm your dad, right?" Noriaki nodded. "And how can you tell that?" Kaito asked, and Noriaki looked confused.

"Well.. because you're my dad. It's not like you can.. stop being my dad. Can you?" Noriaki asked. "By biology, no. By law.. uh, only if I suck at my job of being a dad. That's not the point though. Family have.. things in common with each other. Like.. your hair."

Noriaki grabbed at his maroon-purple hair, sticking out in several directions. "What about it? Is it.. bad?" 

"No! No, it's great. But your hair- you get that from me. Genetics. Our hair is the same colour, isn't it? And this is a pretty rare colour to have- well, naturally." Kaito threaded a hand through his hair, flipping down the sunglasses that were still inside it.

"That's how your my dad? Your hair?" He asked, and Kaito laughed quietly. "I'm surprised you know about drugs but now how genetics work. Look, your biology teacher will explain it to you sooner or later." Momota stated, and Noriaki nodded.

Kaito glanced over at his son and sighed quietly. "Hey, Nori." Noriaki glanced over at his father. "Spot me." 

Noriaki grinned and nodded, fishing out a chicken nugget and tossing it in the air, which resulted in Kaito leaning over and catching the probably-artificial chicken in his mouth. "Can I learn to do that, too?" Noriaki asked, and Kaito nodded. "If you really are my son, you'll be able to do it one day too."

* * *

"Uncle Gonta and Keebo are coming over tonight, by the way." Kaito mentioned as they exited the car, closing the garage as Nori unstrapped himself and got out. His eyes lightened up at the thought of his non-blood relatives coming over. "Really? Are they bringing anyone else with them?"

Kaito shook his head. "No, we're just gonna watch the game together. I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to stay at someone else's house tonight, I mean, we're gonna-" He couldn't exactly say 'get drunk until we think Keebo's a robot again' "-have a few drinks."

Nori shook his head. "It's not like I haven't seen you with wine before, dad. I'll just come down every once in a while to make sure you're not drinking too much!" Noriaki stated, and Kaito laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure thing dad." Kaito joked, and Noriaki giggled back.

"Are you sure though, Nori? I mean- don't any of your friends want you to stay over?" Kaito asked, genuinely concerned for his son's social behaviour. Noriaki scratched awkwardly behind his head, thinking for a few moments before shaking his head. "Nope! They all think I'm weird."

Kaito blinked, exiting the garage with Nori following behind him. "How do they think that? Better question,  _why_ do they think that?" Kaito asked, and Noriaki looked slightly nervous. "Well, they all say that it's not-weird to have a mom and a dad, and it is weird to have just a mom or just a dad. So that makes me weird, doesn't it?"

Kaito had never felt his heart sink so deep since he saw Maki in agonizing pain during birth. "That doesn't make you weird, it makes you..  _unique_. And that's better than being not-weird." He simply stated, and Noriaki nodded. "I guess. Unique means different, and different means weir-"

"Don't think too much about it, Nori!" Kaito tried to diverge the situation, grabbing his son by the under arm and lifting him into the air, causing a stuttered but joyful giggle to emit from Noriaki. Kaito fell back onto the sofa deliberately, letting his son slid down his chest and onto the throw pillows on the floor. Like on cue, the door knocked and Kaito sat up.

But he didn't even need to go and answer it, Noriaki stood up at once and ran towards the front door, chanting 'uncle gonta and keebo' under his breath quietly until the moment he opened the door, and basically yelled it aloud.

"Uncle Gonta and Keebo!" He spoke, eyes widening. Keebo moved forward first and smiled, placing a hand on top of Noriaki's head and tousling his hair. "Hi, Nori. Is your dad home?"

"Okay, I'm not so much of a bad parent that I'd leave my underaged son home alone." Kaito yelled from the living room, standing up and going into the hallway. "You try having kids."

"Gonta is sure that Keebo and Gonta can not produce children." Gonta stated, and Noriaki blinked in confusion. "Why can't you have children? You love each other, and that's all it takes to have kids right?" Noriaki asked, and all three of the men looked at each other awkwardly.

Kaito cleared his throat. "That's.. not quite it, Nori."

"Then what is it?"

"I'M NOT READY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU JUST YET."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rushed ending,, aa im sorry
> 
> kaito can catch chicken nuggies in his mouth confirmed


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Leon talk to their friend groups about a certain crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoiler about chihiro in this chapter, so if you havent completed chapter 2 of the first danganronpa game maybe dont read this one??  
> mondo is a good character and i'll fight for his honor okay??

Kaito switched on the television the moment they all got into the living room, hearing the sounds of Noriaki's feet thudding upstairs into his bedroom. Keebo hunched up his legs onto the sofa, smiling gently at Kaito.

"You raised a good kid, Kaito. Single parenting isn't easy." He complimented him, and Momota shrugged. "He's doing well in school, he's not getting in trouble outside of it. I think he's just a good kid in general, I didn't do much of anything other than raise him."

"Kaito wrong." Gonta called from the kitchen, bringing through a sixpack of beer and setting it on the table. "You shape Nori to who he is." Kaito blinked in confusion, and shook his head. "You've lost me, Gonta."

"What he means is- you shaped Noriaki to be the boy he is today. And the man he will be one day. I'm not saying you could've done any better or worse- I'm saying that, well, he's going to be fine in the future. He's got a good aspiration as well, does he really want to be a baseball player?"

"Ever since he saw his first major league game." Kaito smirked and remembered, the excited little hands pointing toward the bat and cooing in awe at the sight of the ball flying across the stadium. Keebo smiled, Gonta sitting next to him as Kaito joined them on the sofa. "Nidai will train him well, I'm sure. He trained Ryoma, didn't he?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, but.. he isn't being taught by Nekomaru. Well, not right now at least. He has a substitute teacher for now." Momota sighed, dreamily talking about Leon without even saying his name was already getting him riled up. Gonta blinked. "Is teacher good for Nori?"

"Yeah! Yeah- uh, he's great." Kaito spoke, feeling his cheeks flush bright red. He broke off a beer can from the plastic rings and nervously cracked it open, taking a sip. Keebo hummed. "Something tells me that you're not convinced about this teacher. What's the matter with him? He doesn't have a record of touching-"

"HE DOES NOT HAVE A RECORD OF PEDOPHILIA KEEBO." Kaito basically fucking screamed, and both Gonta and Keebo laughed nervously. "Of course not, other wise he wouldn't be teaching baseball. But that's not the point, what's he like?" Keebo asked, and Momota looked down at the ground awkwardly.

He thought for a few moments. "He's.. nice. And handsome. And- uh.." 

"And?" Keebo prompted, reaching over for his own can and grabbing one for Gonta too, who mainly just held his one for the coolness of it. "And.. that's it. Really." Kaito insisted, trying to focus on the football game on tv. But unluckily for him, Keebo was persistent. "What's his name?"

Humming, Kaito mumbled something under his breath. Something that sounded like 'neon deep-water'. Keebo raised an eyebrow. "Can you say that again?" He asked, and Kaito's cheeks turned even reader than they had been before. He mumbled again, this time not even being intelligible enough to compare it to something. Keebo rolled his eyes. "Can you just-"

"Leon Kuwata!" Kaito basically yelled, and Keebo's eyes and mouth widened. Gonta blinked in confusion. "Kuwata?"

"G-Gonta.. Kaito- he's- you can't be serious! You're seriously crushing on a major league baseball player, whose teaching your  _son_?" Keebo basically screamed, his voice sounding more scratchy and unstable than before. Momota couldn't be any redder if he tried. "Y-Yeah.. so.. that's kinda why I didn't want to tell you."

Gonta cleared his throat, nervously curling one of his calloused fingers around a strand of hair. "Maybe publicity good for Momota?" Gonta stated, and both Keebo and Kaito blinked at him in confusion. "What is that supposed to mean?

"Well.. after Maki not live through Nori birth, Momota been.. distant. Dating famous person might make Momota not distant?" Only Gonta would have the ability to understand a situation and put it into such context that made it perfect. Kaito sighed. "I don't even know if he likes me back, I don't even know if he likes guys. And.. it's way too early to try anything. What if the other kids in Nori's class find out and start picking on him, isn't it wrong for a teacher to be dating a parent of one of their students?"

Keebo shrugged. "Technically he's a substitute, isn't he? So he won't be a teacher for too long." Kaito sulked. "But the only times I'll see him will be when he's teaching!" Momota groaned and hit the back of his head on one of the sofa pillows, trying not to muffle a scream.

"Well, you better get his phone number ASAP." Keebo giggled and took a sip of beer, rolling his eyes at Momota's melodramatic actions.

* * *

"The kids are okay- I guess. There's a few that I know will quit within the year, and then there's the special group of them who'll probably continue to take it and brag about it like baseball is just some showboat sport. But.. there's this one kid, right? I know he's gonna become major league if he just sticks to it." Leon stated, stretching his arms back as Mondo and Fujisaki both sat themselves outside on his porch.

"Why don'tcha just adopt the little brat if you're gonna talk about him so much?" Mondo asked, and Leon half glared. "He has a good dad."

"I thought it was always the moms that picked up the kids from their sports." Chihiro inputted, and Leon looked awkward. "Yeah uh.. I kinda found out that his mom's dead. I didn't directly ask!" He stated, and looked down at the ground. He sighed and rubbed at his temples, looking at his socked feet and groaning.

Chihiro nudged his shoulder carefully, smiling. "Don't worry about it, Leon. That means you could have a chance with this guy though, right?" He implied, and Leon turned red. "W-W-Well, uh.. I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship like right after Sayaka-"

"Oh, the girl was a whore, Leon!" Mondo yelled, shaking his head. "She was with like- five other guys and only dated you for the money! If I were that dad guy I would totally just- come up to you and kiss you!" Leon and Fujisaki looked at each other awkwardly.

"Gee, thanks Mondo. Makes me feel good to know that you'd kiss me if you were a dad." Leon spoke sarcastically, and Fujisaki placed a hand over his mouth and laughed quietly. "I'm sure Ishimaru won't want kids with you now." Mondo's cheeks flushed red.

"W-Well, what if we don't want kids?" He spoke, his voice sounding much more timid. Over the years, Mondo had semi-learned how to not scream at everything when he was nervous. Leon spluttered and laughed. "Imagine a mixture of Mondo and Ishimaru! It'd be like- the loudest crier ever."

Fujisaki giggled softly and shot Mondo a reassuring glance. "How is he, anyways? We never talk much- well, not as much anymore. Not since he started applying for that- what was it?"

"Presidential Adviser." Mondo spoke, fiddling with the end of his pompadour and sighing quietly. "He'll be travelling a lot, so.. I should really be spending time with him. But, like, he never even has time for me! He's always in his study and he sleeps there some of the time! When I come back from biking he's either working away or curled up in that office chair asleep. I mean- I don't usually mind that shit but I worry."

Leon placed a hand on the pompadoured man's back and rubbed at it gently, trying his best to be encouraging. "Well, when you go home tonight, talk to him. Just- ask about his day and do couple-y shit like that. Chihiro, what do couples do?" Leon asked.

Fujisaki hummed softly, and fiddled with a strand of his hair. "Well, they go eat together, they go on dates, they talk- they just.. do things together. Sakura and I seemed like polar opposites at first, but now look at us." He flashed the engagement ring and smiled, causing Leon to sigh.

"I-I'm sorry, Leon. It seemed like I was bragging there." He spoke, but the baseball star shook his head. "No- it's not that. I'm happy for you and Ogr- Oogami." He spoke, gaining a semi-glare from Chihiro about nearly using that nickname he'd picked up from Hagakure. "It's.. well, this kid's dad- he's.."

Fujisaki placed a hand over his mouth and squealed happily, causing both Mondo and Leon to look at each other in confusion. "Leon! You're- I can't believe it! It's usually people going after you instead of the other way around!"

Leon blushed and looked down, but never denied the fact. Mondo smiled coyly. "Man, I didn't know you were into widowers." He stated, and Leon glared, embarrassed. "I'm not! I just think.. he's a nice, pretty guy." He spoke, feeling awkward and embarrassed, mainly flustered.

"And his kid's a natural athlete- like, I've never seen pitching that good at his age! He has his downsides too, of course. Like he isn't the best at home runs and he always hesitates when he reaches a plate, but other than that- real potential."

"Sure, but you haf'ta remember that your only going to be his teacher for another two weeks. After that, Nekomaru will come back and you'll go back to major league." Mondo reminded him, and Leon sighed. "Then I'll just have to tell Nidai that this kid has potential, and pay some extra attention to him."

"Isn't unfair on the other kids if their teacher pays more attention to one other kid? That's how must kids get bullied, you know Leon." Leon rolled his eyes at Fujisaki's statement, but he knew it was true. And he really didn't want Kaito Momota's kid to get bullied because of him. Leon sighed and took out the ring in his goatee, letting it stick out in several directions.

"Well, the next practice isn't until next Friday, right? That means you've got a week to think about this." Mondo suggested, and Leon nodded. "Yeah, I'll.. well, we'll just have to wait and see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i ship fujisaki and oogami dont judge me i'll cut you
> 
> anyways thanks for reading!! leon and kaito will interact next chapter i promise


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito meets some old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i refuse to let this story die

The week passed by fairly quickly, with obviously a few pop-ups of questions about Leon from Kaito to Noriaki. But as subtle as he tried to make them, Noriaki  _was_ a smart kid after all. 

"If you really want to see him play, he's giving away tickets for the winning team of the tournament next month. He won't be teaching then, but, he's helping fund." Noriaki responded to his dad's question of 'how good is he at baseball', before sipping idly on a carton of apple juice. Kaito nodded and sighed, leaning back onto the sofa as his son spread out his baseball cards on the coffee table before then, a series of Saturday afternoon cartoons playing. 

"Do you want those tickets?" Kaito asked, placing both hands behind his head and scratching at the little short strands of his hair. Noriaki nodded, picking up the baseball card of Leon and presenting it as if it was a golden treasure in his eyes. "I really, really, really, really-"

"Calm down." Kaito chuckled, his jaws stretching into a yawn. "If you seriously want those tickets, why aren't you out in the yard practicing right now? You know, I could maybe call up one of your friends' parents and-"

"I'll practice by myself!" Noriaki declared with a forced grin, scooping up his cards and placing them back into their designated spots in the folder book. He grabbed his pitching glove and ball, running through the kitchen and exiting to the back garden through the door. 

Kaito's mouth was still open from when he was interrupted. Noriaki was.. really eager, to practice without his friends. Was it that thing that he had mentioned before? With them calling him  _weird?_ That really worried Kaito, nobody would ever think that his son was weird. It just wasn't right. Memories of Kaito's own childhood seemed to flood back to him.

> _"You don't have a mom or dad? That's not true, everyone has one!"_
> 
> _"Well, I don't.. grandma and grandpa take care of me."_
> 
> _"You live with a bunch of old people? Eww, that's gross! Which means your gross!"_
> 
> _"I-I am not!"_
> 
> _"Are too!"_
> 
> _"Are too!"_
> 
> _"Are too!"_
> 
> _"Momota, why do you have to be so **weird?** "_

Kaito shook his head. He wouldn't ever let Noriaki endure the same taunts as he did. He wouldn't let anyone close to him endure the things he had.

* * *

 

Friday rolled around pretty quickly, and Kaito found himself driving to Noriaki's baseball practice, except this time he wasn't breaking forty traffic violations. Checking the time, he glanced down at the clock on the car. 2:56. That was good, that was.. surprisingly good. For him, at least. As he approached the field, he saw dozens of other parents surrounding the car park, and for once he felt.. confronted.

But not all was lost, the moment he saw Kirumi and Ryoma standing outside their own Bugatti Chiron, he didn't feel as nervous as before. And it was slightly relaxing to know thathimself and Maki weren't the only ones who had gotten knocked up during their college years. 

Exiting his own car, Kaito approached the couple and smiled, raising a hand as a waved. To be completely fair, they hadn't really aged much. Or aged at all. The only true difference was that instead of Kirumi's maid outfit, she wore a long, floral-patterned summer dress. And Ryoma.. well, nothing really. 

"Hey, guys! I didn't know that Taysuke trained here too." He smiled, and Kirumi offered a polite bow and smile. "Momota, it really has been a while."

"You can just call me Kaito, you know. I mean, we do go back. Hey Ryoma, is it true that this new substitute teacher was really trained by Nidai?" Kaito asked, and Ryoma took out the candy stick from his mouth. "How should I know? If he did, he never mentioned it. Coach Nekomaru is a man of substance, I'm sure he'll train anyone who comes at him."

Kaito laughed nervously, the way Ryoma spoke still unnerved him a little. "Well, tell Taysuke I sai hi, and he can come over to see Noriaki at anytime." Kaito implied, heavily on the 'at any time' part. Kirumi basically flinched back.

"Is there something the matter with Noriaki? Or anything.. at home?" She asked, and Kaito sighed. "Noriaki's friends think he's.. weird, apparently. It's really bugging me, it shouldn't, but-"

Ryoma cleared his throat. "You have every right to worry about your child, Kaito. After all, you're the legal guardian in question. Anything that's wrong with him, it's wrong with you."

"Gee, thanks Ryoma. I'll keep that on board for the next long while." Kaito rolled his eyes, but he was really considering Ryoma's words. He would've had longer if the cage gate didn't open and all the kids came flooding out.

A boy with a band-aid on his cheek and long, pastel green hair approached Ryoma and Kirumi with a toothy grin. On closer inspection, he had several other grazes and healing cuts on his body. It was clear that this boy got into a lot of messes. He flashed a smile at his parents, and then one at Kaito. "Hi, Mr. Momota! Is Noriaki coming home with us?" He asked, and Kaito shook his head.

"Sorry Taysuke, he has homework to do and then he's going over to his uncles'. Is that a new cut?" He gestured to his elbow, and Taysuke nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I got it when I did this wicked kick-flip on my skateboard that made me fly like, fifty feet in the air and-" Kirumi placed a hand on her son's shoulder to quiet him, and Taysuke's energetic attitude immediately phased into a shy, polite one.

Kaito chuckled. "Alright, well, I'll see you guys later okay?" He stated, before heading into the cage to pick up Noriaki. Noriaki, on the other hand.. wasn't there.

Kaito's Super-Protective-Dad-Mode™ activated immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot twist
> 
> kinda
> 
> idk
> 
> help


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i havent updated anything in a while!!! aaa1!!!!!

"Excuse me, have you seen my son?"

"He's about this tall, hair like mine except it sits better."

"Freckles, pale, baseball outfit? He's only seven!"

Kaito had never felt so much worry since Maki's passing. Was Noriaki injured? Kidnapped? Lost? Even  _dead?_

All of the other parents had shook their heads and gave odd glances as Momota fretted about where his only son was. Couldn't they understand his anguish? His son was missing for god's sake! Even Ryoma and Kirumi hadn't been much help, even though they said they'd call if they found him.

Kaito sat on the edge of the curb, placing his head in his hands. He had searched the entire pitch, the car park and even the surrounding fields. His coat fell behind him with the single sleeve slinking over his shoulder like a reassuring friend. Should he call the police? He pulled out his phone.

Maybe it was a bad idea to do that. What if they blamed him for losing him? Would they take Noriaki away from him? They couldn't right? They would all have to go to court and Noriaki would probably be traumatized from the whole experience - if he was ever found!

Breathing in and out to calm himself, Kaito stood up from his perched seat. The sun was blazing into the earth currently, sweat from worry and the heat had began to pile up onto his forehead. Groaning quietly, he entered the pitching cage one more time.

Except this time, he saw a dash of white and a spot of red hair from a distance. Oh god, Leon. How was he going to explain to him that he had lost his son? Maybe if he just didn't talk to him, he wouldn't ever know how much of a bad father he was being. But Leon was approaching him, arms folded across his chest. Oh god, did he know?

Momota breathed in and out quietly, deciding to take his own few steps forward so they met in the middle of their path. A few seconds of silence passed between them, before Kaito had to blurt something out.

"Have you seen Noriaki?" He finally asked, voice cracking as if he was on the verge of tears. Leon flinched back, lips turning upwards into a strange smile. "I was wondering when you'd show up, Momota. Yes, he's with me. He got into a fight with-"

"Oh thank god!" Kaito breathed out in relief, grabbing onto Leon's shoulder and almost laughing with the reassurance that his son was alive, not missing. In retrospect he probably should've just went straight to Leon in the first place. He was also determined to celebrate his son's cancelled disappearance before Kuwata's words finally struck him. "A fight?"

"He got into a small scrap with one of the other kids. I've been trying to get any words out of him about why, but he's just so.. quiet." Leon frowned, letting his tight grip of arms fold fall down to his side. Kaito blinked, trying not to well up in tears. Noriaki was a good kid, why on earth would he willingly get into a fight? "Can I see him?"

Leon nodded, giving a motion for him to follow him to the small little office in the storage hut. They really should renovate that, it was bound to fall down at some point or another due to how old the entire field was itself. Looking into the small little window, Kaito could already see his son, holding an ice pack over his cheek. 

Kaito breathed in and out to mentally prepare himself, entering and frowning immediately as his son looked up at him with a guilty smile. "Nori, what's the deal? You've never gotten into a fight before. Not even in pre-school, or nursery, or-"

"He said things about Mom." Noriaki immediately stated, shrinking in his seat as Kaito's eyes widened. Leon hung back in the door frame, only watching from afar. Kaito moved forward, going onto one of his knees. "And what did.. he say?"

Uncomfortably, Noriaki shifted and fidgeted in his seat as he took down his ice pack, revealing an ugly purple mark on his cheek. But that was only a sub worry for Kaito at the current moment. Nori bit his bottom lip nervously. But slowly, he took a shaky breath. "He said a swear."

"You can say it- just this once, though." Kaito instructed, and Noriaki nodded.

"He called her a- a- skank whore who died from an STD." Noriaki stated, before looking straight into Kaito's widened eyes. "What's an STD?" He asked.

Leon himself looked shocked, so obviously he hadn't even heard what the previous boy had said. Kaito's own fists clenched, now he wasn't a violent person but he had never wanted to hurt a kid up until that point before. But exhaling and inhaling quietly, he stood up and looked down at his son as he tried to calm himself. "You're not in big trouble, Nori. Go to the car, okay? I need to speak with your teacher."

Slowly, Noriaki shifted from his seat and moved out of the small hut, running across the field to the car park as he clutched as ice pack in his hands. Momota's mind was whirling with violent and angry thoughts, but he made no physical move on them.

Leon finally opted to move forward, but carefully stayed about a foot's length away just in case Kaito decided to physically lash out at him. "I know that kid, he's got a bad background. I didn't even know children that age learned such vulgar words, but I guess that's what happens when they live in such bad-"

"Kuwata." Kaito spoke, his voice eerily calm. "I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad at my son, and even though I want to be, I'm not mad at that kid." Momota spoke, shakily taking a breath. "Would it be possible for me to set up a conference meeting with you and that kid's parents?"

Moving toward the makeshift desk, Leon grabbed a file on the table and scanned through a list of names. "I can schedule a meeting Monday next week at four, but- this  _is_ my last week on practice. You'd be meeting with Nidai-, er, Nekomaru for then."

Though it shouldn't, Kaito's heart stung to hear that. He turned to face Leon and ran a hand through his hair. "Then- how about we keep in touch? I work a full shift at my friend's agency but- you know, I have weekends off and-"

"Momota, it's fine. I'd be happy to stay in touch. Hold on-" Leon dug into the pockets of his white leather jacket, pulling out a black business card and pressing it into Kaito's hand. "My home and mobile number's on there, email too if you can't access those. So, I'll meet with you soon?"

"Yeah, uh.. yeah." Kaito tried to smile, but found himself unable to. Leon pressed his lips together, breathing out awkwardly. "You can call me at any time, since baseball season isn't for another few weeks and I'm not even doing anything that's even remotely productive- uh, I mean, not like that- I'm not a lazy-"

Kaito's lips turned up into a smile, and he even chuckled quietly. "How about dinner, next week on Saturday? I'll give you my number too." Momota stated, looking around awkwardly for something to write it down on. Leon provided him with another business card, writing on the blank back of it with a red pen. "Just- call me if anything comes up?"

"Nothing ever does." Leon awkwardly chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry i got sidetracked this chapter was meant to go a completely different way and now it's went in either the extremely right way or the extremely wrong way??
> 
> thanks for reading nonetheless!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it bREATHES AA IM SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS IM WORKING ON UPDATING OTHER SERIES TOO FFF

Kaito hadn't really been out on a date - or out with anyone full stop - since Maki had passed. And even then, they only went out once or twice. Should he dress formally? Kaito didn't own an actual suit, he had a tie and blazer though, would that suffice? 

His outfits consist of his work clothes, casual dad wear and a single mankini Ouma bought him as a prank gift, what an odd April Fools that had been. Would it be bad for him to wear some work clothes on a date? Was this even a date? Did Leon like him that way?

A part of him hoped Leon liked him that way.

Momota placed his head in his hands, sitting on the edge of his bed. His bedroom was pretty standard, with a handmade butsudan with an incense bottle, a framed photograph of Maki and her hair bobbles. His closet had been ransacked and several shirts and t-shirts lay on the floor, the most prominent one a single grey t-shirt which read 'Dad Cult™" with a bad drawing of a lit candle. Admittedly one of his favorite t-shirts.

Kaito wondered if Leon was maybe having the same crisis, worrying about this date. They had called, albeit awkwardly, and agreed on the time of six o clock, and Shuichi had agreed to watch Noriaki for him. The parent teacher conference between Momota and Nidai was straight forward, at least with Nekomaru he wasn't awkwardly daydreaming about him, since he had a wife and wasn't much interested in Kaito's gay thoughts.

A timid knocking sound came from Kaito's door, and soon it was pushed open. Noriaki stood there, the purple bruise on his cheek still healing. It reminded Kaito of the time he was honestly willing to go hurt a kid, but in all honesty he was just concerned about his son's health. They had explained to the school, and luckily nobody thought that Nori was a victim of domestic abuse.  

"Can't I come with you?" Nori asked, well aware of where he was going. "I like Kuwata.." He stated, awkwardly scratching behind his head. Kaito sighed, frowning and feeling a small twitch of guilt. He still shook his head, looking over at the flurry of clothes on his bedroom carpet. "Sorry bud, it's an adult thing. But you'll have Saihara here, don't you like him?"

"I do, but he's not as fun as Ouma. Or Kuwata. Or you." Noriaki inputted, and Kaito couldn't help but find that a little entertaining. Shuichi was probably one of the most mature people he knew. It was an understatement to find him a little bland.

"Well- Ouma's at therapy, and Leon and I are going out to do adult things together." Kaito ended it, deciding to wear a black shirt with a purple galaxy tie, hopefully it wasn't too much - or too little.

"Are you and Kuwata going to sex?" Noriaki asked, and Kaito almost choked himself whilst tightening his tie. He coughed loudly and loosened it down to two ends. "N-No! We're not going to- Nori, where'd you learn that?"

Noriaki flinched back, looking anxious as if he was in trouble. "Hideki said that's what adults do when they leave their kids with other people."

"Whose Hideki?" Kaito asked, and Nori blinked innocently. "Someone in my class."

"Well, Hideki is a liar. Don't listen to him, okay? We don't listen to liars." Momota stated, and Noriaki nodded, relieved that he didn't seem to be in much trouble. Kaito glanced at the clock on the wall, reading 4:57. Shuichi should be showing up soon, he couldn't really leave the house until he was sure that Noriaki was being taken care of.

And there was the worry that it took half an hour to drive to the restaurant they were meeting up in. 

Kaito fixed his tie and sighed, trying to make his hair look semi-presentable. "Head downstairs, answer the door if it rings. It'll probably be Shuichi." Noriaki nodded in response, tip-tapping out of his dad's bedroom and heading downstairs. Kaito sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

Please let tonight go well.

* * *

Kaito and Nori waited in the living room. Well, Kaito was leaning against the kitchen counter and watching Noriaki from the non-existent doorway, resting both of his elbows on the breakfast bar as an episode of this weird cartoon about women with jewels in their bodies and a young boy had adventures. Honestly, he would've gotten entirely sucked into it if the doorbell ringing didn't distract him.

"I'll get it!" Noriaki informed him loudly, getting up from the sofa and rushing to the door. His gasp of excitement immediately worried Kaito, and he couldn't help but move from the kitchen to the hallway. And immediately regret it. Leon stood out there, dressed in what looked like a blue blazer, white shirt and black tie. Oh god, now Kaito thought he had severely undressed. Behind him was Shuichi, standing awkwardly and waving to Noriaki like an immense third wheel.

Kaito stood frozen for a few seconds, before he had reached the part where if he didn't say anything now, it would definitely look as if he was ogling Kuwata. Clearing his throat, Kaito smiled and waved awkwardly. "Hey, K-Kuwata. Oh! Shuichi, come in. There's a list of Nori's schedules and things he likes and doesn't like and.. stuff." God fucking dammit, only Kaito fucking Momota he thought to himself.

Saihara seemed to get the silent message and nodded, slipping politely pass Leon and taking Noriaki's hand in his, Noriaki was thankfully happy to oblige with Shuichi by telling him more about the weird cartoon he was watching. Momota breathed in and out, his smile growing a little more relaxed. "Wow, uh, sorry about that. I wasn't expecting- you know, you to show up. Here. At my house." Kaito smiled. "I'm h-happy you did! Like, you're not not allowed to come to my house-"

"Momota, it's cool. I figured uh, we could probably get drinks and then I realized you wouldn't be able to if you were driving back, so I called us an all-night Uber." Kuwata reassured him, and Kaito's heart couldn't help but feel slightly aflutter with this. But god, he couldn't drink. Kaito was an emotional, unstable mess when he was drunk. Would Leon even hang out with him after tonight? He hoped so, he really, really hoped so.

Blinking awkwardly, Kaito stepped back, swearing under his breath. "Uh, fuck, sorry Leon. I forgot my wallet in the kitchen. I'll go get it now and-"

"There's no need." Leon stated, a bit of a smug smile on his face. "I got everything payed for, reservation and all." God dammit. Kaito giggled awkwardly like a schoolgirl, slipping into his shoes. "I-I suppose I wont be needing it then." He stated, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. He felt around in hid pockets for the keys, thankful that they were still there. Kaito stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him.

"I suppose we should go then?" Leon asked, and Momota nodded.

Please, please don't him royally fuck this up like he usually did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short and v rushed chapter, sorryryryryr!!
> 
> please  
> keep being interested in this  
> that'd be cool

**Author's Note:**

> what do you guys think?? oneshot or continue?? thanks for reading nonetheless
> 
> kaiwata is a weird ship i like ok dont oppress my goatee babies


End file.
